Analyzing what happened on Tuesday
Observations from the just-concluded primary election … Any candidate who spends more time saying, “Nobody put me in this race” than in talking about his or her own platform reminds me of the famous line from Shakespeare: “Thou doest protest too much.” Such repeated and emphatic denials are a sure sign that someone’s got a partner on, “Dancing With the Political Stars.”
The “New Democratic Team” for Fayette County commissioner formed by Sean M. Cavanagh and Vincent Zapotosky ended up helping Zapotosky, who finished first, way more than it did Cavanagh, who finished third. Zapotosky wound up with 2,000 more votes than Cavanagh, who finished 900 votes behind incumbent Vincent A. Vicites for the second nomination spot. One poll done a month before the election showed Vicites first, Cavanagh second and Zapotosky third, with a little more than 20 percent of voters undecided as to their top choice.
If ousted Fayette County Controller Mark Roberts wants to see the real reason for his 590-vote loss to challenger Sean P. Lally, he should take a good look in the mirror. Rather than continuing to blame the media for all his woes – which must be an inherited trait – Roberts goofed by repeatedly trying (and failing) to have Lally knocked off the ballot. People don’t like that sort of thing, as it looks like you’re trying to eliminate the competition. And when the effort fails, you’ve got a big albatross hanging around your neck.
In case you didn’t notice, Republican Fayette County Commissioner Angela M. Zimmerlink, who mounted no advertising campaign, got 126 more votes than fellow GOP Commissioner Joseph A. Hardy III, who did. The fact that Zimmerlink got 3,432 votes to Hardy’s 3,326, in a race where they each went in guaranteed a fall ballot spot, says something. I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s something.
Everyone knew that what Fayette County Democratic Party Chairman Fred L. Lebder said in a preview story was correct: His party’s race for commissioner was really between three candidates – Vicites, Zapotosky and Cavanagh – and that the two Johns – “Toots” Croftcheck and “Sonny” Mikita – had no chance of serious contention. But that doesn’t mean they weren’t factors in the outcome. Not when Mikita got nearly 2,900 votes and Croftcheck got more than 2,500. Combined, they took 17 percent of the Democratic Party vote, in a race where Zapotosky bested Vicites by 4 percentage points, and Vicites bested Cavanagh by 2 percentage points.
The defeat of Uniontown City councilman Bob Cerjanec, who finished third in a race where two got nominated, was more surprising than the defeat of his political ally, Mayor Jim Sileo.
The big surprise in Uniontown was the first-place finish of Marlin Sprouts Jr., a little-known political newcomer, in the race for Uniontown City Council. Sprouts topped two much better known incumbents, Cerjanec and Blair Jones Sr. That’s no small accomplishment.
Uniontown Area School District voters spoke loud and clear about how they feel on the controversial senior high school renovation project. They bounced three big-project supporters from the board (Susan Clay, Tammy Boyle and Charles Castor),, while electing four new faces (Vincent Winfrey Jr., Philip Holt, Paul Bortz Sr. and Alan George) and returning moderate incumbent Kenneth G. Meadows.
Anything’s possible, but I’ll be surprised if Democrats Zapotosky and Vicites put together any type of unified front for the November campaign against Republicans Hardy and Zimmerlink. Clue number one: Vicites has already accepted a $20,000 campaign contribution from Hardy, so how’s he now going to seriously run “against” Hardy? Clue number two: Zapotosky and Vicites don’t share anything near the same support core, and after such a bruising primary, it’s hard to imagine them ever kissing and making up.
Vicites outfoxed some people this time.
Paul Sunyak is editorial page editor of the Herald-Standard. He can be reached at 724-439-7577 or psunyak@heraldstandard.com